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1 Q1. What is a FAQ?
2 A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for
3 its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings.
5 Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ?
6 A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers to) that have been asked
7 repeatedly either in emails or on IRC.
9 Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose?
10 A3. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement
11 firmware for the Archos Jukebox 6000, Studio 20 and Recorder MP3 players.
13 Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed?
14 A4. Our guide on first time (http://www.rockbox.org/docs/firsttime.html)
15 Rockbox development should answer most of your questions.
17 Q5: What is CVS?
18 A5: Concurrent Versions System (http://www.cvshome.org). We have a small
19 help page about how to use this to get, update and commit files on the web
20 at http://www.rockbox.org/cvs.html
22 Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file?
23 A6. Just like the name implies, it lists conventions that the project follows,
24 and in turn asks you to follow, for the formating of source code in
25 general.
27 Q7. Okay, so I read CONTRIBUTING and although I don't agree with all your
28 conventions, I am going to be sensible and follow them anyway. Now what?
29 A7. Start by reading up on the information about the jukeboxes on our web page.
30 Then go into CVS and look at the code we've written. Then take what you
31 need and start writing.
33 Q8. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account,
34 what should I do?
35 A8. You don't need a SourceForge account to help developing Rockbox. Just
36 submit patches (http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches)
38 If your patches are consistently well-written and thus accepted, you may
39 ultimately be offered CVS commit access. If that should happen, you will
40 need to get a Sourceforge account:
41 http://sourceforge.net/account/register.php
43 Q9. Do you have a mailing list?
44 A9. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific things.
45 Please check out: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/, and please see FAQ entry
46 75.
48 Q10. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on
49 past posts?
50 A10. Check out the archives at: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/
52 Q11. How can I meet the developers working on the project?
53 A11. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server
54 irc.openprojects.net, and then join "#rockbox". There is usually at
55 least one person there. If you don't see any activity, feel free to post
56 questions anyway, several of us log the channel and will get you answers
57 when we unidle.
59 Q12: Wow, you guys talk on IRC a lot? I wish I had been around for those
60 conversations to see what happened.
61 A12: We are glad you mentioned that! http://www.rockbox.org/irc happens
62 to have a list of various logs we have recorded of events in the channel.
63 Feel free to read up, and ask questions on what you find.
65 Q13. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning?
66 A13. http://www.sourceforge.net
68 Q14. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers
69 possibly damage my Archos Player?
70 A14. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental.
71 Try them at your own risk. We offer no guarantee that this software, or
72 the hardware modifications we show, will not damage your player or void
73 your warranty. That said, we have not been able to damage any of our
74 units by modifying only the firmware. You can accidentally password
75 protect your hard disk, but there are ways around that. (See below.)
77 Q15. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really
78 like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest?
79 A15. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at
80 http://www.rockbox.org/internals/
82 Q16. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development?
83 (A.K.A. what's your purpose for being here?)
84 A16. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy
85 it profusely. This is great fun!
86 Secondly, we feel the original firmware is lacking some features and
87 contains a number of annoying bugs that we don't want to live with.
89 Q17. You mention supporting Ogg Vorbis and other file types on your list of
90 ideas. What is the status on that?
91 A17. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we believe this is not very
92 likely. The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the Archos does not
93 natively support decoding and there is very little program space in the
94 player to implement it ourselves. The alternative would be to write a
95 software decoder as part of the Rockbox firmware. However, as much as we
96 love our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller)
97 is not fully sufficient for this need.
99 Optimist's Answer: We can play any format if only we can write code for
100 the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that
101 simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and
102 we will be the first to celebrate if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything
103 into these DSPs. Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new
104 MAS DSP code and Micronas is very secretive about it. If anyone can
105 help, please get in touch!
107 The recent release of Tremor (integer Ogg decoder) indicates it uses
108 around 100 KB for lookup tables. That's not unreasonable for a decoder,
109 but we only have 4 KB for both code *and* data. So the grim reality is
110 that Ogg will never be supported by the Archos Players and Recorders.
112 Q18. What about supporting playing of WMA files?
113 A18. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read previous question, or go
114 buy your own project.
116 Q19: But you don't understand, I'm not talking about decoding here,
117 since the data we want may already be in the decoded format (PCM).
118 A19: Okay, last time. No. We have no problems whatsoever reading different
119 file formats, call it PCM, WAV, GRI, PQR or whatever. The problem is
120 that the CODEC only accepts MP3 data and nothing else. We could write a
121 new CODEC if we knew how to do it, but there is no documentation on the
122 DSP. Please note that we have no access to the DAC, so we can't send the
123 data directly to the DAC.
125 Q20. What is the most recent version of Rockbox?
126 A20. We recently released version 2.3, so head on over to
127 http://www.rockbox.org/download/ and pull it down.
128 Make sure to read the release notes.
129 (http://www.rockbox.org/download/rockbox-2.3-notes.txt).
131 Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions?
132 A21. We don't plan versions in detail. We just write code, and when it feels
133 right we release a new version.
135 Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my hard disk!
136 When I turn on my jukebox, it says:
137 Part. Error
138 Pls Chck HD
139 A22. Your hard disk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it
140 happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at:
141 http://www.rockbox.org/lock.html
143 Note: This is a very rare problem. Most people who think they have a
144 locked disk actually just experience hardware and/or driver problems.
146 Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do?
147 A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an
148 easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't
149 really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself).
150 What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, visiting the web site
151 (http://www.rockbox.org) to see if the question was answered else where
152 (like our nodo http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo FAQ)
153 and just not included here, or ultimately dropping an email to the
154 mailing list (rockbox@cool.haxx.se) or the FAQ maintainer listed on the
155 project home page.
157 Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers?
158 A24: Yes.
160 Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are?
161 A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you.
163 Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person.
164 A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the
165 doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule
166 about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling
167 me here.
169 Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos?
170 A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the
171 guy that mailed us with question #24.
173 Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm?
174 A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now.
176 Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that
177 challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or
178 ideas?
179 A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's
180 copyright and we are not circumventing any copy protection scheme.
181 This has been a big point for the project since its inception. Some
182 people wanted us to distribute patched versions of the original firmware,
183 but seeing as that _would_ have violated Archos' copyright, we didn't
184 follow that course of action.
186 Q30: On the web site [and various information postings] you state
187 "Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then
188 re-written from scratch".
189 If it was rewritten from scratch then why was it first reverse-engineered
190 and disassembled? Instead this sounds more like someone disassembled it
191 then used the understanding that they gained to create a new version,
192 which is not quite the same as "from scratch".
193 A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product
194 to find out how it works. Disassembling the firmware is merely one tool
195 used in that examination. Oscilloscopes and logic analyzers are other
196 tools we have used. We have written every single byte of the Rockbox
197 firmware. But we could not have written the software without first
198 researching how the hardware was put together, i.e. reverse engineer it.
199 All of this is completely legal. If you define "from scratch" as writing
200 software without first researching the surrounding interfaces, then no
201 software has ever been written from scratch.
203 Q31: This FAQ is great, but do you have anything with a bit more detail?
204 A31: Check out our website and it's documentation. Rockbox also has a user
205 manual you can read. http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf
207 Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted
208 to know about Rockbox boot loaders')
209 A32: Rolo is our bootloader. Rolo became available with our 1.4 release.
210 To make use of Rolo, you must have a file with the same extension as
211 your Rockbox firmware (.ajz on Recorder, .mod on Player) but a different
212 name. You can then browse to it, and you 'run' the other firmware
213 you wish to switch to by pressing play. Remember to set the Show Files
214 option to "Supported" or "All" to be able to see the firmware files in
215 the browser.
217 *Poof* You will reboot to that firmware. (Note that in order to return
218 to Rockbox you may need to reboot manually if the new firmware you loaded
219 does not have a bootloader itself.)
221 Q33: Can I use the Archos as an USB hard disk to store data from my PDA/
222 digital camera/phone etc.
223 A33: No. See http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#4_Interfacing_with_other_USB_dev
225 Q34: When I use Rockbox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this
226 doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why?
227 A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error
228 light. Relax and enjoy the music.
230 Q35: I have a question about the batteries...
231 A35: STOP! We have put together a completely different FAQ for battery
232 related questions.
233 Check out: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/BatteryFAQ
235 Q36. I have a question about patches...
236 A36. Check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WorkingWithPatches
237 as it should answer any patch related questions you may have.
239 Q37: What is the WPS?
240 A37: That is the 'While Playing Screen'. Basically this is what is shown on
241 your player's display while we are playing your song.
243 Q38: What good is the WPS? How usable/flexible is it?
244 A38: It is very good if you want information about the current item playing ;)
245 By using a WPS configuration file you can manage exactly how/what you
246 want displayed on your Archos Player. (Even better yet, if you want
247 a feature that's not there, we are _always_ open to suggestions!)
248 Please see http://www.rockbox.org/manual/wps.html for information.
250 Q40: So how do I load/make a .wps file?
251 A40: You check out http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/CustomWPS
252 to learn the format/features of a .wps file, and read the manual to
253 learn how to load it ;)
255 Q41: Does Rockbox support other languages? How do I load/use different
256 languages?
257 A41: See: http://www.rockbox.org/lang
259 Q42: Does Rockbox support other fonts/character sets?
260 A42: Recorders do, Players don't.
262 Q43: How do I use the loadable fonts?
263 A43: If you own a Recorder see: http://www.rockbox.org/fonts/ Players
264 cannot make use of loadable fonts.
266 Q44: Why can't I use loadable fonts on the Player?
267 A44: This is because the Player font is character cell based (as opposed to
268 the Recorder's bitmap based display). This
269 means that we are able to choose what characters to display, but not how
270 to display them. We do have the ability to change/create up to 4 chars
271 on one model and 8 on another, however we are currently using several of
272 these 'letters' to store icons for the player.
274 Q45: Why don't you have as many games available for the Players?
275 A45: The display on the Players is character cell and not bitmap based.
276 This means there is much more limitations in the amount of graphics that
277 can be displayed, and thus what kind of games can be written.
279 Q46: I keep shutting off my player in my pocket. Can the OFF (Recorder) or
280 STOP (Player) key be locked?
281 A46: No. Unfortunately, the ON/OFF mechanisms are handled entirely in
282 hardware. The firmware can read the keys, but can't prevent them from
283 shutting off the player.
285 Q47: Can I record with Rockbox?
286 A47: You sure can. Take a look at our manual.
287 http://www.rockbox.org/manual/manual.pdf
289 Q48: Now that I can record, can I use custom codecs (like LAME)?
290 A48: The MP3 encoder is in the MAS3587F chip, and nothing we can change.
292 Q49: What are the max/min bitrates for recording on the Recorder's encoder?
293 A49: The builtin encoder is variable bit rate only with a max of 192kbit/s,
294 and a min of 32kbit/s.
296 Q50: Would it be possible to record from line in on the player?
297 A50: No.
299 Q51: I have a question about the id3v1 and id3v2 tags...
300 A51: Rockbox supports both id3v1 and id3v2. If you have problems,
301 report it to the developers and please provide an example.
303 Q52: Where exactly did the name 'Rockbox' come from?
304 A52: Well you can follow the full line of emails at
305 http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0062.shtml
306 However, the brief rundown is that it was recommended first by
307 Tome Cvitan, and put to a vote (which it lost).
309 Funny thing about democracies. This isn't one ;) Our beloved project
310 leader vetoed the winning name and chose Rockbox instead.
311 http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0134.shtml
313 There you have it. Recommended by users, decision by dictator.
315 Q53: Why is there a limit of 400 files in a directory?
316 A53: This is a configurable value, 400 files is just the default.
318 Q54: Why is there a 10,000 song limit on playlists?
319 A54: This is a configurable value, 10,000 songs is just the default.
321 Q55: How can I make playlists on my PC?
322 A55: There are many programs that can create .m3u playlists. WinAmp is one.
323 Another simple method, that requires no extra software, is to use dir:
325 dir /b /s X:\ > X:\allfiles.m3u
326 dir /b /s X:\Pop > X:\pop.m3u
328 ...where X: is your Archos drive.
330 Linux users can use the 'find' command:
332 cd /mnt/archos
333 find . -name "*.mp3" > all.m3u
335 Remember that playlists are simple text files. You can edit them with any
336 normal text editor.
338 Q56: How does the shuffle work?
339 A56: It sees the playlist as a deck of cards, shuffling the entries using a
340 pseudo-random generator called the Mersenne Twister. After shuffling,
341 the list is never changed again until you re-shuffle the list, by
342 stopping the playback and restarting. If the repeat mode is enabled,
343 the list will simply start over from the first file again, without
344 re-shuffling.
345 The random seed is stored in the persistent setting area, so that the
346 resume feature can shuffle the playlist in exactly the same way when
347 resuming.
349 Q57: How can I find out about all the neat features that Rockbox has?
350 A57: This information is in our manual (It sometimes gets a bit out of
351 date, so please bear with us.) The information you are most likely
352 looking for is a bit down the tree, so the here is the url:
353 http://www.rockbox.org/manual/rec-general.html
355 Also, check out the features-list at:
356 http://www.rockbox.org/docs/features.html
358 Q58: How can I see what bugs are currently open/being worked on?
359 A58: Check out http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml for a listing of bugs
360 that have been reported.
362 Q59: How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?
363 A59: If we were better programmers we would take that as an insult. But we
364 aren't, so we won't. The first step in reporting a bug is to review
365 the rules we ask you to follow in your submission (listed at:
366 http://www.rockbox.org/bugs.shtml#rules).
368 Please note that we ask reports of bugs in CVS/daily builds to be sent
369 to the mailing list, and bugs in released versions of Rockbox to be
370 submitted through SourceForge's bug tracker. (A link to the bug tracker
371 can be found under our bug submission rules.)
373 Q60: What's with all the different versions of Rockbox?
375 A60: We currently support four different hardware platforms: Players, Recorder
376 v1, Recorder v2 and FM Recorder.
377 For each platform, Rockbox is released in three versions: Release, Daily
378 Build and Bleeding Edge. These only differ in release frequency.
380 The Release version (currently 2.3) is a frozen known-good state. This
381 means that we are confident that few, if any, significant bugs reside
382 within the code for that version. This is the version for the common
383 user, *except for Ondio*. Use a current daily build for Ondio.
384 There are 2 bugs in the 2.3 release that render it not recommended for
385 Ondio: (1) Saving configuration files or radio presets takes ages, and
386 wears the flash chip much more than necessary. (2) Rockbox 2.3 does not
387 yet support all Ondio hardware variants. This may lead to non-working
388 storage access both from rockbox and via USB.
390 The Daily Builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml) are automated
391 daily builds of the CVS (development) code. As such they contain all the
392 new features (and bugs) that have been introduced after the last official
393 release, up to this morning.
395 The Bleeding Edge builds (http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml#bleeding_edge)
396 are built from the CVS code every 20 minutes. The purpose of these builds
397 is to verify the code builds properly on all platforms (and simulators)
398 and also to allow testers to try out new features and bug fixes without
399 having to build the code themselves.
401 Please Note: Bleeding Edge builds are expected to be buggy at times. We
402 ask that you _do not_ submit bug reports for Bleeding Edge builds, but
403 would love to hear any reports you may have about Release or Daily build
404 versions. (see "How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?")
406 Q61: I am in Windows and can't create a .rockbox directory to store my
407 files. When are you going to fix this?
408 A61: You don't need to. The directory should have been created when you
409 installed Rockbox. If it wasn't created, you haven't installed it
410 correctly. Re-read the installation instructions on the download page:
412 http://www.rockbox.org/download/
414 Q62: I own a Mac. I can't seem to create the .rockbox file. Can you
415 fix this?
416 A62: See question 61.
418 Q63: Will Rockbox work on any of Archos' other units?
419 A63: Other than the 6 currently supported models: no, probably not. If Archos
420 releases another rockbox-able player (such as the V2) then rockbox will
421 find its way onto it, but their new devices as the Gmini, MM, and AV
422 units are completely different hardware and probably won't be supported
423 by Rockbox unless someone enthusiastically reverse engineers them and
424 submits patches to make it happen.
426 See also: http://www.rockbox.org/docs/nodo.html#7
428 Q64: I installed Rockbox, removed the jukebox safely and rebooted, but Rockbox
429 still didn't load. What is wrong? I am running Windows.
430 A64: The old MOD/AJZ was not entirely deleted from the disk. It is still
431 there, and the boot loader finds that one instead of the new file. Here's
432 what you can do:
434 - Download and install Directory Snoop (version 4.03 in November 2002)
435 from http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm.
436 It's shareware, the trial version can be used 25 times.
438 Directory Snoop can display true drive contents by bypassing the
439 operating system and reading the raw drive sectors directly.
441 - Plug the Jukebox in the PC as usual and power on
443 - Launch Directory snoop
445 - Click on the Jukebox drive letter in the [select drive] field in the
446 toolbar. The content of the jukebox hard drive appears in the main
447 window. Files which appear in red color don't seem to be present on the
448 hard drive, but they still here.
450 - Simply select the appropriate files (red color) and purge them
451 (Purge button). Of course, don't erase the new archos.mod file and the
452 .rockbox directory :)
454 - Safely remove (Windows unmount device function) the Jukebox.
455 Power it up and ...voila... Rockbox is there!
457 (Thanks to Olivier Rafidison for this info)
459 Another alternative:
461 - Copy the firmware file to the jukebox again. Windows will rename it to "Copy of XXXXX"
463 - Delete the original firmware file and remove the "Copy of" part from the new file name
465 - Reboot
467 If it doesn't load the correct firmware, do the whle procedure again until the new file is recognized.
469 Q65: What kind of mic can I connect to my AJBR?
470 A65: There are several types of microphones.
472 Dynamic: The one that's available from Archos is a dynamic one.
473 Their output level is high enough so that they don't need an
474 amplifier (that's the reason why the Archos mic is of this type -
475 it's cheap).
476 - cheap
477 - no good sound quality of cheap dynamic mics (good enough for
478 speech)
479 - no amplifier needed
481 Backplate Condenser: These are the professional mics. They need phantom
482 power (48V) for charging the condenser.
483 They also need an amplifier, because their output level is low.
484 - good sound quality
485 - need phantom power (48V)
486 - need amplifier
487 - expensive
489 Electret Condenser: These capsules are cheap and result in a good
490 recording quality. They don't need phantom power voltage. They need power
491 for the FET (field effect transistor) that's inside. If you have such a
492 mic with a battery in it, it is mostly because of the FET power, not
493 because of an amplification circuit inside the mic. These mics are in
494 all the consumer products like mobile phones, PC headsets and so on.
495 - cheap (2 EUR for a capsule)
496 - good sound quality
497 - need amplifier
498 - need power for the FET (1,5 - 15V)
500 Recommendation for do-it-yourselfers: Use electret condenser mic capsules,
501 solder an amplifier for them which both amplifies the output level
502 and feeds the power needed for the FET to the capsule.
503 The one on http://www.geocities.com/ferocious_1999/md/micpreamp2.html
504 was soldered and tested by Uwe Freese, and it works.
505 There are some others available from www.elv.de and other sellers.
507 Recommendation for others: Buy some mic + preamp combination which can be
508 plugged into a line in of any amplifier. Maybe such a commercially
509 available combination needs a power supply and doesn't work with
510 batteries. Some are very expensive. You might have some luck at
511 http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/.
513 What does not work: Don't use an amplifier thing that is simply connected
514 between some mic cable. Maybe it sounds as if it could work, but I
515 doesn't. If the piece of (expensive) electronic doesn't have a power
516 source and your mic doesn't either, it does not work! A PC sound card or
517 md player usually has a power output (same pin where the sound goes
518 through, dc value) for feeding the FET of an electret condenser capsule
519 (see above) (and this power could also used to feed a mic amplifier), but
520 the Archos hasn't (it's a line in and no mic in!).
522 If you want to know more on microphone powering, read this:
523 http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html.
524 (As described, you also need amplification.)
526 Q66: I can't start rockbox when the charger is connected. What am I doing
527 wrong?
528 A66: If your device is off and you connect the charger, the Archos charger code
529 is started immediately. You can then start Rockbox with holding down the
530 ON key for several seconds. Hold the key down a really long time, until
531 you see the Rockbox logo!
533 Q67: Why can't you implement a cross-fader? That would be so cool!
534 A67: Please read our NODO faq. http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/NoDo#3_Crossfade_between_tracks_
536 Q68: My screen is all black/white when I run Rockbox on my Recorder!
537 A68: This bug has been fixed in the later versions of Rockbox. Upgrade!
539 Q69: Where are the FM controls for the FM Recorder?
540 A69: In the menu: FM Radio
542 Q70: I installed/renamed ajbrec.ajz (or archos.mod) but I am still booting
543 with another version of firmware.
544 A70: When looking on the hard disk the Archos firmware only matches the first
545 ten characters of the file name. Because of this files like
546 ajbrec.ajz.bak or ajbrec.ajz-20030404 match and are loaded. To
547 prevent this from happening, give the it a file name that differs in
548 the first 10 characters, e.g., ajbrec.bak.ajz.
550 Q71: Help! My recorder crashes when I copy files to it!
551 A71: Yes, the recorder can crash when you copy several gigabytes of
552 files to it. The explanation is simple: Copying several gigabytes
553 of files through USB requires a long period of sustained disk
554 activity and drains more power than the batteries of the recorder
555 can store. A long copy will eventually drain the batteries to the
556 point where the recorder can no longer function and it halts.
557 This even happens when connected to the charger, since the power
558 drain is more than the charger can provide! If the recorder halts
559 while connecter to the charger, the batteries will recover and
560 after a short while it will reboot the Archos firmware in charger
561 mode. To make it worse, depending on the USB drivers of your
562 system it can cause your system to crash as well, or confuse it
563 to the point it needs a reboot.
565 There is no solution, just some tips:
567 - Connect to the charger when copying lots of files. This will
568 not prevent the problem, but it will take longer to happen.
570 - Make sure you have "Deep Discharge" disabled.
572 - Switch off the "Backlight On When Plugged" option.
574 - Use USB 2.0. Transfers will be much faster.
576 - Copy incrementally. With fully charged standard batteries it
577 should be capable of sustained copying for 2 - 2.5 hours.
579 Q72: What should I know about digital I/O connector on my jukebox?
580 A72: The Recorder models have a connector for digital audio output using the
581 common S/PDIF standard (Sony/Phillips Digital Interface). This jack is
582 not present on the Studio/Player/FM Recorder models. By using the digital
583 output in combination with high class external equipment, you can get
584 much better sound quality out of your jukebox. This is because you can
585 use better DA-converters and better amplifiers, plus you eliminate the
586 analog audio connections between the jukebox and your equipment that can
587 introduce noise and distortion.
589 The Recorder and the FM Recorder models are able to record from digital
590 sources, too. The digital inputs don't have the 15kHz lowpass filter like
591 the analog inputs and you are sure to minimize the noise floor.
593 Although S/PDIF can be an electrical or an optical signal and there are
594 many devices that support both, the socket on the jukebox is for
595 electrical signals only! Some devices have sockets that look the same,
596 and can take either an optical or an electrical cable, but sadly this is
597 not true with the Jukebox.
599 If you want to connect your amp with digital input (RCA type) to the
600 output of your Recorder you need an adapter cable (3.5mm stereo jack to
601 dual RCA jack). Plug the 3.5mm stero jack into the digital I/O socket of
602 your jukebox and the red RCA jack (right channel) into the digital input
603 socket of your amp and that's it. You don't have to enable the digital
604 output, since it's always on. The sound settings on the digital output
605 are always flat, your volume, bass, treble, bass boost, loudness settings
606 won't have any effect here, that's why fade in/out won't work,
607 either. The sampling frequency of the digital output is the same as the
608 sampling frequency of the mp3. It's therefore possible that your external
609 equipment won't be able to synchronize to the output of your jukebox if
610 you have mp3's with sampling frequencies other than 32, 44.1 or 48kHz
611 (The pitch shift function also modifies the sampling frequency!).
613 For recording digital signals on the Recorder, use the white RCA jack
614 (left channel) and plug it into the digital output of your CD player, MD
615 player or whatever. Don't forget to select digital input in the recording
616 settings!
618 Note that some adapter cables exist with different color coding, so if it
619 doesn't work try to swap red and white. The tip of the 3.5mm jack is the
620 digital input, the ring is the ouput. For recording digital signals on
621 the FM Recorder, you need a special 4-pole 3.5mm plug (shaft = ground,
622 tip = left channel analog line in, first ring (next to tip) = right
623 channel analog line in, second ring = digital in).
625 If you want to connect devices with optical inputs/outputs, you need a
626 small converter box which converts your signal from electrical to optical
627 (for digital output from the Archos) or optical to electrical (for
628 digital recording in to the Archos).
630 Q73: How do I unsubscribe from the rockbox mailing list?
631 A73: The same way you subscribed, but you send an 'unsubscribe' request to the
632 mailing list server instead of the 'subscribe' one you sent before.
634 This is all mentioned on the same web page: http://www.rockbox.org/mail/
636 Please please please pretty please with sugar on top, DO NOT attempt to
637 mail unsubscribe requests to the mailing list itself. That will only
638 annoy more than 400 readers and will have no effect on your subscription.
640 In fact, you NEVER unsubscribe to ANY mailing lists by mailing unsubscribe
641 to the list's address. You might as well take the opportunity to learn
642 this right away.
644 When you first subscribed to the mailing list, you were sent a welcome
645 mail from the server. It contained information about the mailing list and
646 instructions on how to unsubscribe. It is considered a good habit to keep
647 such welcome messages from mailing lists.
649 In addition to all this, every mail that is sent out to the rockbox
650 mailing list has a set of standard headers that offer info about the
651 mailing list: how to post, how to unsubscribe, where to find the mailing
652 list archives etc. Sensible mail clients can display these headers.
654 Q74: What is the Recorder V2?
655 A74: The Recorder V2 is essentially an FM Recorder without the radio. It looks
656 and works like the FM Recorder except for the radio, and has LiIon
657 batteries. It is meant to replace the older Recorder model.
658 NOTE! The first V2 Recorders were in fact real FM Recorders with the
659 radio parts still mounted. If you are lucky, the FM radio might work in
660 your V2, try it!
662 Q75: Why is there a Radio option in my Rockbox for V2?
663 A75: Some of the first V2 units had an FM radio in there, so if you're one of
664 the few lucky ones, you can use the radio fine.
666 Q76: What does "dir buffer is full" mean?
667 A76: It means you have more files in a single directory than you have
668 configured Rockbox to support. See Q53.
670 Solution: Increase the "max files in dir browser" setting.
672 The 2.2 release contained a bug that set the default buffer setting
673 to 0, giving the dir buffer full error.
675 Solution: Upgrade to 2.3.
677 Q77: Why are you developing X when you should be doing Y?
678 A77: You make the common mistake of confusing Rockbox development with that of
679 commercial projects. There is not much of an agenda for the development
680 of Rockbox. Anyone who wants to write new features can do that.
682 If there is a current "huge emphasis" on the X functionality, it is
683 because one or more developers, decided he/they wanted to write it. It's
684 not because "Rockbox project management" decided function X is a more
685 important feature than anything else.
687 That is the nature of Free Software: People write code that scratches
688 their own itches, or that simply is fun to write. Everybody working with
689 Rockbox is doing it for fun. A wide or narrow audience actually has only
690 little bearing on the choice of features to implement.
692 The moment someone with a bit of time to spare and the necessary
693 programming skills (or a will to learn them) feels function Y is a
694 sufficiently useful feature, it will be written.
696 (That could be you.)
698 Q78: How do I control the recording frequency and quality?
699 A78: Linus Nielsen Feltzing replied to a similar question on April 17th 2004,
700 and this is a cut'n paste of his reply that can be read on the following
701 URL:
702 http://www.rockbox.org/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2004-04/0814.shtml
704 SAMPLE RATE
706 Controls the amount of samples per second, basically which frequencies
707 that can accurately be reproduced during playback. Lower frequencies
708 produce smaller files, for two reasons: 1) The amount of data to be
709 compressed is smaller and 2) the data is easier to compress, since higher
710 frequencies are not present.
712 BIT RATE
714 Controls how many bits per second that is required for accurate live
715 transmission of the compressed audio. When you compress the data harder
716 (meaning worse sound quality), the bitrate gets lower.
718 STEREO VS MONO
720 A mono file doesn't necessarily have to be smaller than a stereo file.
721 It all depends on the encoder. The MAS does produce smaller files with
722 mono.
724 MAS QUALITY
726 The MAS uses VBR for compression (yes always), which means that the
727 bitrate varies from frame to frame, depending on how compressable the
728 data was at that point in time. This allows for a more even quality, and
729 also smaller files if the data is easily compressed. The MAS can generate
730 frames with bit rates ranging from 32kbit/s to 192kbit/s (MPEG1) or
731 8kbit/s to 160kbit/s (MPEG2).
733 The MAS quality setting is just a way of selecting an average bit rate
734 according to the following table (quality 0 is on the far left):
736 FREQUENCY BITRATE IN KBIT/S
737 ------------------------------------------------------
738 44100Hz stereo: 75, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 170
739 22050Hz stereo: 39, 41, 45, 50, 60, 80, 110, 130
740 44100Hz mono: 65, 68, 73, 80, 90, 105, 125, 140
741 22050Hz mono: 35, 38, 40, 45, 50, 60, 75, 90
743 (This table can be found on page 38 in the MAS3587 data sheet.)
745 MPEG VERSIONS
747 The different MPEG versions use different sample rates:
748 44100, 48000, 32000: MPEG version 1
749 22050, 24000, 16000: MPEG version 2
750 11025, 12000, 8000: MPEG version 2.5 (not an official standard)
752 Q79: How can I make rockbox play tracks in CD order?
753 A79: You have two options.
755 1: You can rename all tracks to have the track number in front of them
756 (01 - track1.mp3, 02 - track2.mp3, ...). Just make sure to zero-prefix
757 the number properly so that 10 will play after 09.
759 2: Make a playlist for each album and play that instead of the .mp3
760 files.
762 No, you can't make Rockbox use the track number id3 info for this.
764 Q80: Why does Rockbox say that I only have 18Gb free space on my 20Gb disk?
765 A80: Because the disk manufacturers have a different definition of Giga than
766 the rest of the computer world does.
768 Read more about it here:
770 http://personal-computer-tutor.com/abc3/v30/vic30.htm